An area of outstanding windsurfing locations Enter
An area of outstanding windsurfing locations
Workington 1 View Map

Budle Bay

N NE SW W NW
EasyModerateHard

A lagoon just round the corner from Bamburgh beach. It is a tidal lagoon that fills up 2 hours before high tide and empties 2 hours after high tide. Relatively shallow in spots. No waves get into the lagoon so there is only wind chop to handle. Really beautiful spot.

There is no water in the bay at low tide. Sailable 2 hours before and after high tide. High Spring tides are the best, more sailing area and depth of water good for a few hours; neap tides do not fill the bay.

Currents on the incoming and outgoing tides can be strong as the bay is getting shallower, danger on the outgoing tide as the current will take you out of the bay.

Budle Bay is closed to Sailing from November 1st to the end of March due to the site being on a migratory route for many species of birds. Please adhere to this rule. Access to the bay is very good from the middle of the south side lane.

Workington 2 View Map

Mouth of Budle

N SW WSW W WNW
EasyModerateHard

The beach just to the south of Budle Bay, just north of Bamburgh beach. Benefits from having more wind than Budle Bay or Beadnell on a westerly direction due to the high ground (70m hill) funnelling effect beside it, and flattish land just upwind.

Works best on westerly directions, (cross off). A clean wind for a westerly, coupled with a northerly swell gives some of the finest classy cross off clean wave sailing on the Northumberland coast. A bit of a carry with the carefully selected kit, requires a good level of fitness and strength, and sailing ability/experience. Limited parking.

Can be sailed at most tides, on a spring high tide the beach will disappear with the tide right up against the rocks and dunes. Sailing is still possible but access becomes more difficult. Rock outcrops at points, but flat sandy beach off high tide. Waves and flat water.

Workington 3 View Map

Bamburgh

N S SW W NW
EasyModerateHard

A big long sandy beach with the Bamburgh castle as a backdrop. Open to huge northerly swells, sailable at most tide states but no beach on a spring high tide. Can get some nice waves and quite sizeable, cross shore best directions. Access is good from Bamburgh north end. South end is possible, but a long carry ensues.

Workington 4 View Map

Beadnell

N NE E SE S SW W NW
EasyModerateHard

A big wide east facing horse shoe shaped bay with a few rocky reefs (exposed at low tide and covered from mid tide).

Can be sailed at most tide times and wind directions, popular for flat water blasting, and gets some nice waves, huge in the middle of the bay off the main reef, suffers with gusty wind on offshore directions due to the high dunes. Access is good from the north end or south end car park.

Workington 5 View Map

Embleton

N SE NW
EasyModerateHard

A small nice sandy horse shoe shaped bay, gets some nicely spaced clean waves. Cross shore on a NW and SE access ok but a long carry ensues.

Workington 6 View Map

Boulmer

N NE E SE S SW W NW
EasyModerateHard

A natural safe haven formed by two outer reefs create flat water blasting at times in the bay and waves breaking on the outer reefs (sailable from mid to high,) can be good if only a small wave, but in huge S-SE-E-NE-N swells can a provide a place to sail.

Versatile little spot, no water and dry reefs at low spring tides, neap tides sailing possible in the bay on flat water (reef still dry) but possible to sail through the gap in the reefs to the open sea. From mid tide there is plenty water to sail the bay and towards high tides there is enough depth of water to sail over/on the reefs, cross off to cross on the reefs. Rocks/sand in the bay/reefs, weed can be problematic but can be very good. Sits out on a point so it sometimes catches wind when nowhere else does. SE picks up more wind here than most places. Waves and flat water.

Workington 7 View Map

Seaton Point

N NE SW WSW
EasyModerateHard

A small bay with quite high ground around it, flat sandy beach with rocks at low tide, rocky outcrops at either end of the bay. On a NE at mid tide there are clean easy rideable waves wrapping into the bay cross shore, suffers a bit wind shadow but very good quality sailing. Not sailed much on other directions as there are better places.

Workington 8 View Map

Alnmouth

N S SSW SW WSW W
EasyModerateHard

A nicely situated flat sandy beach running SW to NE, with a tidal estuary (no sailing in the estuary, only on the beach). Access very good with the car park on the beach.

Sailable at all tide states, can be very good on a SW if a Southerly swell present, waves focus into the corner of the bay and wrap upwind slightly into the estuary mouth and can give very good wave riding along the length of the bay or flat water blasting, suffers from gusty wind due to high ground inland, funnelling effect from the estuary, local amenities very good, nice spot. Good waves and flat water.

Workington 9 View Map

Coquet Island

N E SW NW
EasyModerateHard

A nice sandy beach with a few rocks and outcrops, with an island about a mile offshore with reefs extending to it at either end of the bay. Best times to sail are at Neap low tides to mid tide, low spring tides shallow out.

This will give either flat water blasting or cross on wave sailing on a NW or a SE. access ok, parking good but carrying the kit not easy, sailing can be good. High tides flood over the reefs and can cause big rips. Good waves and flat water.

Workington 10 View Map

Druridge North End

N S SSW SW
EasyModerateHard

 A wide sandy horse shoe shaped bay with reefs at either end. The north end has good access, reefs to the north and south with flat sand in-between. Very good at low to mid tide with waves being wrapped off the reefs. Good wave sailing and flat water blasting on S-SW. Good limited parking right on the beach. Flat lands around point.

Workington 11 View Map

Druridge Bay Boatramp

N NNE S SSW SW WSW NNW
EasyModerateHard

Easy access and limited parking, reef offshore sailable over at high tide and exposed from low to mid, creates a good waves on the flat sandy beach. Sailable at most tide states, nice waves at times. Best on NNW-NNE or S-SW waves and flat water.

Workington 12 View Map

Druridge Boardwalk

N NNE NE S SSW
EasyModerateHard

Mid-point of the bay, can get the biggest waves and strongest currents. Best at low to mid, high tide suffers a big wind shadow/gusty winds as the dunes are quite high here. Less popular. Sea defences at high tide can damage kit. Waves and flat water.

Workington 13 View Map

Cresswell

N E ESE SE S SW W
EasyModerateHard

A flat sandy bay to the north and rough rocky reefs to the south, at low to mid the reefs are exposed, on a SE they can create some nice wrapped cross shore waves, good wave riding can be found, as well as flat water blasting.

Sailing also possible on a NW waves can be a bit more onshore but a WNW gives a bit of cross off. mid to high. can be sailed at most tide states, the offshore reefs sometimes give some nice waves that could be rideable.

Workington 14 View Map

Blyth

N S SW W NW NNW
EasyModerateHard

A slightly curved sandy bay, can get good waves, slight wind shadow off the harbour and high dunes/ground tends to make the wind gustier than other places. Good access at the north end car parks, wave sailing/flat water blasting.

Seaton sluice end good parking but harder access. Can have off shore flat water blasting, but there are much better places to sail.

Workington 15 View Map

Seaton Sluice

N S SW W NW NNW
EasyModerateHard

Good parking but harder access through dunes. Wave sailing can be good at times, flat water blasting. strong currents. Close to town but there are better places.

Workington 16 View Map

Derwent

N E ESE SE SW WSW W
EasyModerateHard

The sailing club is located in the middle of the reservoir which sits almost 1000 feet above sea level. On westerly or easterly winds they are funnelled by the west to east running valley. A stunning setting with good facilities, good parking and access, hot showers and changing rooms, a clubhouse serving hot food and drink.

Sailing is flat water blasting but on high wind days a sizeable chop becomes a small swell running down the lake. The best sailing is normally on a WSW directions as they give medium strong wind sailing. On light wind days there are a lot of sailing boats out as well. £15.00 for a day ticket on limited days or a fee payable which allows sailing on a buddy system at any time. In the summer sometimes the only place to have medium/strong wind. Good blasting with a sheltered full power flat water gybing bay, can have very satisfying blasting.

Workington 17 View Map

Allonby

N NE S SSW SW WSW W
EasyModerateHard

A huge curved bay with a stony high tide shelf and sandy flat beach with odd rocks, marginal SW winds can funnel up the Solway Firth to give short board sailing here due to the funnelling effect of the Cumbrian Lakeland hills and the southern Scottish highlands.

Huge tides on the west coast so at low tide a long walk can be expected, and rough waters at very high tides. On low to mid tides some nice cross onshore clean soft waves can be found with big flat sections in strong winds, Cross onshore flat water blasting and wave sailing can be had. good access, sailing from just south of Allonby on a S-SW or a mile further south at cross Cannonby if more SW-W. Very good quality sailing at times, can get very strong winds.

Workington 18 View Map

Workington

N S SSW SW WSW W
EasyModerateHard

Beach just north of the harbour and a point of land to the south. Very good on SSW-SW winds, when it does work it is a great wave sailing beach. Best from four hours either side of low tide, at high tide there are knarly rocks and big shelf (kit wrecking stuff).

You can have strong winds here, but if SSW-SW and waves wrap in cross shore into the bay. There are a few reefs in the bay, rocks to the north and south of the bay. Access is ok, parking on top of the cliff, a hard carry down and back up but the sailing is worth the hard work, no pain no gain.

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